This invention relates to apparatuses and methods for automatically changing the winding guides (herein after referred to as shrouds) needed in winders for winding coils in armatures. Winders of this type having shrouds which can be rapidly changed have been presented in Boers, U.S. Pat. No. 4,786,004, Armature Winding Machine With Removable Shrouds and in Lombardi et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,257,745, Apparatus For Facilitating The Changing Of Shrouds In Armature Winding Machines, both of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The shrouds are needed in these winders to guide wire into the slots of the lamination stack of the armature as it is being dispensed from a rotating flyer. The shrouds need to be changed at least whenever there is a variation in the diameter or in height of the lamination stack belonging to the armature to be wound.
In view of the foregoing, it would be desirable to provide a winder which can successively wind different types of armatures by easily changing the shrouds.